ee te Theres, Opinion Volume 76Issue No.1 - TheReview Wednesday, January 17,1990 — AG ¢ View from Cowichan: Just whose Inlet is it? The Saanich Inlet is one of the jewels of the southem Island. Its beauty, and its recreational and scientific value make it worth respecting as more than just a body of water Separating two very different neighborhoods. Perhaps, if the Inlet is to provide joy and employment in the future, it needs protecting. A local group, the Saanich Inlet Protection Society, is looking into just that. The society wants to examine the pros and cons of tuming the Inlet into a national preserve. So an invitation to its February workshop, logically enough, was sent to the Cowichan Valley Regional District. The reaction? The CVRD snivels about short notice and at least one director says the Peninsula is once again trying to push its way into Cowichan affairs. (See story Page B1) People of the Peninsula, you see, are far too concemed about land uses on the west side of the Inlet. In a display of myopic, lunchbox thinking, the CVRD implies that the Peninsula had no right to comment on local decision-making about a bid to build a ferochromium plant at the old Bamberton site. bell’s tongue was in his cheek when he said the Peninsula still has “all their water on the outside where they can dump their garbage and all the rest.” That had better not reflect what the CVRD thinks of the ocean, or the Saanich Inlet really is in trouble. Inlet waters wash up on the shores of two municipalities, on this side. It’s wrong to imply that things that may effect this small, partially enclosed body of water — things like a ferrochromium plant — are none of the Peninsula’s business. Yes, jobs on the Cowichan side are important. They’re important here, too. Jobs generated by tourists — tourists who come for some of the best diving in the world, or to be guided to picturesque salmon fishing areas. Jobs in marine Tesearch at the Institute of Ocean Sciences. The Saanich Inlet Protection Society wants to investigate ways of making sure the Inlet remains the jewel that it is today. The CVRD should take part, willingly and positively. Perhaps its viewpoint will be expanded a little. Perhaps the society’s will. é Many people on the Peninsula side fear the land-use decisions made along the Cowichan side of the Inlet. And the interference, we'll concede, must be annoying. But unfortunately, the latest reaction from the CVRD gives people over here little reason to believe it will take into account the environmental interests of the Peninsula in the future. The Inlet itself, after all, belongs to neither side — but affects both. That may mean it needs a more defined Jurisdiction of its own, provided by senior government. We certainly hope Cowichan Bay director Lome Camp- _ The editorials in this space, the left-hand side of Page Aé, are those of the newspaper. They are written by the editor or under the editor’s direction, and the opinions expressed are independenily developed by the editor and The Review’s editorial department. TeRevi Cv1iew Serving The Saanich Peninsula Since 1912 9781 2nd Street Sidney, B.C V8L 4P8 or PO. Box 2070 Sidney, B.C. V8L 385 Second Class Mail Registration #0128 656-1151 Publisher: Vic Swan Editor: George Lee AN ISLAND PUBLISHERS NEWSPAPER: 4 Ni; Voy _ VERIFIED . hg ' CIRCULATION > PERS asso rs CONTROLLED — YOU SHOULD BE HAPPY To IS NO LONGER IN EFFE KNOW THAT MARTIAL LAW CT IN BEIJING... SS Box troubles Editor: An article in your Dec. 27 Police Beat identifies a problem with mail theft that is also of great concem to Canada Post. Unfortunately, some roadside mailboxes have been tampered with which greatly inconveniences both our customers and our Cor- poration. Canada Post is concerned about the situation, and if customers who receive their mail through Tural route delivery would like to Switch to a group mailbox near their home, they can drop by the Sidney Post Office, 2423 Beacon Ave. Canada Post will assign a group mailbox compartment to take the place of your rural mailbox with- out having to change your present address. These compartments are secured with locks to protect cus- tomers’ mail. Doug McClelland Manager Media and Community Rela- tions Pacific Division Vancouver Graphic demonstration Editor: ~ The accident on Pat Bay High- way, Jan. 9, demonstrates once = again that the highway, in its current state, is unsafe. It needs to be divided, whether with a park- way, Such as the one on the Island Highway from McKenzie to Helmcken, or with concrete. I believe that the time for play- ing politics is over and that our MLAs must not delay for the sake - of a few votes. I believe that the safety of the citizens of Victoria and the Province of British Columbia demand immediate attention and immediate pressure > upon Minister of Highways Rita Johnston to upgrade and divide the highway and to stop the procrasti- nation, because of a few in the minority who wish to see the upgrade stopped. As one who drives the highway daily, I have the constant fear of a (JUST 'ORDINARY" ) LAW... Ail | RE iy vehicle crossing the centre line _ and heading for oncoming traffic, as evidenced by the accident of Jan. 9. I believe political reasons are keeping improvements on the backbumer. Any Tesulting delays will result in more serious acci- dents. Ron Kubek Central Saanich Don’t resent us Editor: From letters to various media in the Greater Victoria area and from conversations with various indi- viduals, i perceive a certain resent- ment that individuals such as _myself and groups such as the Association for the Protection of Rural Central Saanich demand wider discussion of development and community issues in Central Saanich. We have been accused of trying to railroad our position through council, and, indeed, onto the residents of Central Saanich. We have also been accused of misin- formation and alarmism. I do indeed worry about forever losing agricultural land on the Saanich Peninsula. I also do not wish to see the destruction of ecologically sensitive areas such as Tod Inlet, Mount Newton, or Island View Beach. Before we allow for the expansion of the population of Central Saanich we must be aware of all possible implications. UMA Engineering, the firm appointed by Central Saanich council to draw up a new official community plan, has repeatedly shown itself insensitive to what its own research, up to this point, has shown — namely, that residents in Central Saanich are opposed to further loss of farmland and rapid population growth. My frustration, and that of many others in Central Saanich, is coun- cil’s persistent refusal to publicly debate such complex planning issues as development cost charges, sewage disposal, environ- mental safeguards, and tax impli- cations. For too long, most of us have treated negative impacts of development as if they were inci- dental and inevitable conse- quences of “progress.” This nai- vete is rapidly ending. We are asking for full and open discussion of all possible scenar- ios. If our persistence in demand- ing a proper democratic process grates on some people’s nerves, so be it. It is our obligation to our descendants and to the environ- ment in which we are privileged to 4 aw Ny live that dictates that we proceed @ j cautiously and Tesponsibly in altering the landscape. 4 Clarence Bolt Saanichton Second look Editor: Thad to look twice after reading the article (“Geyser of raw sewage Tuins basement,” The Review, Jan: 3) to be sure I wasn’t reading “bureaucracy runs wild” in the National Enquirer! It’s like some- thing out of a Third World coun- try! I consider it quite absurd that the Town of Sidney refuses to accept responsibility for over 800 gallons of raw sewage flooding the basement of the Paulson family due to a problem with the town’s own sewer line, which caused thousands of dollars of damage to the property: If the town is not responsible, then who is? Why are taxpayers paying taxes to the town? How many other property owners has this happened to who haven come forward due to the same type of municipal treatment experi- enced by Paulson? Suppose this happened to some- one lacking the money to pay for cleaning up the mess — should they just let it sit in the basement? Your article states policies of the Municipal Insurance Association of B.C. “protect the town from claims” and “a new section was added to the (Municipal) act in 1987 to protect municipalities from paying nuisance damage.” Were the taxpayers ever informed about this before The Review reported it on Jan. 3? If so, when? If not, why not? a It would certainly have helped Continued on Page A8 > = ee